


Trembling Hands

by TheScottRyder



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:29:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22258720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScottRyder/pseuds/TheScottRyder
Summary: Shepard says nothing for the moment and instead just sits down onto the bed beside Liara, reaching over and taking one of her trembling hands into his own. He brushes his thumb along her knuckles, feels the familiar texture of her scaled skin, and hopes that his touch can bring some comfort to the Asari that he loves.
Relationships: MShiara, Male Shepard/Liara T'Soni
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Trembling Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: M!Shepard/Liara T'soni  
> Prompt: #15 - Trembling Hands

* * *

It hurts to see Liara like this, sitting on the edge of her bed with tears streaming down her cheeks, and so full of anger and heartbreak that she can’t even put her whirlwind of thoughts into words. There’s a comfort, a small and terrible comfort, in the fact that Shepard knows exactly what she’s going through right now, and empathy could be a necessity to some, but it still only went so far when it came to easing the pain of others.

He stands in front of her silently, letting her collect her thoughts and catch her breath after her harsh sobs had stolen them from her, but his guilt grows along with the heavy silence between them. They’ve gone through so much already, and he thought they were prepared to face the familiar horror of the Reapers once they arrived on Thessia, but they weren’t prepared for the truths that the beacon told them, the truths and information that were ripped from their hands by Cerberus only minutes later.

They weren’t prepared to be stuck standing there, feeling so utterly powerless and defeated, as they watched another wave of Reapers come down and tear into Thessia, destroying citizens and cities that had stood proud for centuries.

Shepard wasn’t so arrogant to pretend that he’d never felt such defeat, especially after witnessing the Reaper’s first assault on his home planet, but perhaps he, like Liara, had just assumed that her people would be ready for them.

Now, back on the Normandy and with his unheard apologies to the Asari Councilor still burning on the tip of his tongue, Shepard can think of few things that would bring Liara any real comfort, and maybe that was because sometimes words just weren’t strong enough to ease such a severe pain.

So, Shepard says nothing for the moment and instead just sits down onto the bed beside Liara, reaching over and taking one of her _trembling hands_ into his own. He brushes his thumb along her knuckles, feels the familiar texture of her scaled skin, and hopes that his touch can bring some comfort to the Asari that he loves.

For a long while Liara says nothing but doesn’t pull her hand away from his, and eventually she lets out a slow, shuddering breath before she turns toward him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He can feel her sorrow in the hot tears against his skin, hears it in the pained hitches of her breath, and Shepard reaches out to pull her closer to him, and presses a gentle kiss to her temple as he listens to her muffled cries.

“We’ll get through this, Liara.” Shepard finally says, and he wants to tell her that everything will be okay, that they’ll save Thessia and avenge those who were lost, but those could easily be lies and he doesn’t want to risk lying to her right now, even if she might want to hear it.

So, he goes for the closest truth that they have; this war will throw more pain and death at them before it’s over but he knows that they’ll get through it, somehow, and he can only hope that when this war is done that he’ll still be standing by her side. If not, well.. at least he can be here for her in this moment.

* * *


End file.
